The Parallel
by Yawarakai
Summary: Lex Luthor had a normal life, until the day three strangers popped out of thin air in one of his labs. Now; he's got a hybrid daughter, a missile-proof human, and an immortal mutant shacking up at his manor with the intent of quite possibly driving him insane. All of that, and two employees willing to help them. What more could he want? SLASH Lex/Clark, side of OC/OCs
1. Chapter 1: Exterminations & Red Buttons

YAWARAKAI: I kept taking it down, tweaking it, posting it, and repeating...I am now finally content with how I want this to go. Enjoy :)

DISCLAIMER: Lara, Tarko, Rengar, Addison, Matthew, and the moron who fished his degrees from a food box are mine. Everything and everyone else belong to the wonderful creators of Smallville unless otherwise noted at the top of a chapter.

* * *

There was nothing left.

Lara went down on one knee and brushed away the dust from a faded newspaper, her gloved fingers tracing the bold letters that graced the top of the page. **'END OF THE WORLD?!'** In smaller letters it read, _**"Hell's Legion continues rampage'**_. Steel eyes were blank as she raised her head to survey the remains of what had once been Smallville. Now it was simply a testament to the power and single-minded ruthlessness of the monster she had created.

The hybrid knew that nearly everywhere around the world had met the same demise. Humans were now an endangered species. At least, that was the goal anyways. Lara knew that the pathetic creatures had taken to hiding in desperation. It didn't matter though. Her 'monster' was more than capable of hunting every last one of them down and painting the earth with their blood; them and the fools that sought to protect them, the Justice League. The brunette turned sharply on her heels and moved briskly towards the two companions that had stood by her side for over fourteen years.

Tarko was an experiment that humans had created to test biological weapons on just to see what would happen. He was short, coming only to her chin at five feet and three inches, with a slight feminine build. His long sun-gold hair, ocean blue eyes, and creamy skin gave him an angelic appearance; and during the beginning of her genocidal campaign he had used his innocent looks as an advantage to put unsuspecting humans at ease so that he could gather information that would benefit Lara. As the campaign wore on his appearance made it easier to draw out the scum from their crevices so that they could be slaughtered by Hell's Legion. He was also one of only two in the entire Legion that the hybrid trusted implicitly. The other stood beside him, a copy of 'Robin Hood' held open and nearly finished. Lara wanted to roll her eyes since this was the male's third time reading it.

Rengar was a bit of an oddity really. Lara had found him chained to a giant boulder in an underwater cave during her teenage years before the campaign. In fact, he had been her first recruit (in a manner of speaking) and the one that had helped her bust Tarko out of an underground military laboratory the experiment had been held in. Rengar was taller than Lara by nearly a foot, standing at six feet and seven inches; and his powerful build was the perfect contrast to Tarko's wispy presence. His eyes were a striking violet color, his skin a pale mocha, and his short ivory hair spiked in every direction (naturally!). If Tarko was the deception that Lara used against the humans, then Rengar was the intimidation that kept many of the survivors from forming an effective resistance against them.

There were others in the Legion, all of them with one common goal: the destruction of the human race. The hybrid kept track of them fairly easily using injected nanites invented nearly thirty years ago by her late father. If there was even a remote suspicion that someone was going to turn against her, she would simply send out a command to the little robots to go haywire and the problem was solved. The only members without the technology were herself, Tarko, and Rengar. They didn't need them. Lara really couldn't turn against herself, and the other two cared for their little makeshift family too much to hurt her.

The brunette came to a stop before her comrades and cleared her throat, grabbing their attention immediately. The two men shared a quick glance before the blond spoke in a voice that had always reminded Lara of spring winds winding through willow branches. "Are we heading out now?" the hybrid shook her head. "No, not yet. There's someplace I need to stop by before we leave for Africa." "Oh?" A hesitant look crossed the woman's face, drawing curious stares from the other two. "I...want to go to the mansion for a moment." Understanding dawned in her companions' eyes before Tarko spoke again, his eyes gentle. "Would you like for me and Renggy to join you? Or do wish to do this on your own? We can entertain ourselves if you wish to be alone." "...I won't be long." With that said Lara took to the air and flew towards what had once been her home as a child.

§§§§

The mansion stood tall and dark in the approaching twilight, its stone exterior showing no damage from the genocides (she had been very careful to always draw confrontations away from her childhood home). Steely eyes lost some of their edge at the sight and the hybrid allowed herself to feel a measure of warmth deep in her chest. Taking slow steps, she eventually found herself at the front doors of the imposing building and (after removing her gloves), placed her hands against the age-roughened wood. With a sigh, Lara allowed herself a moment to gather herself for the emotions she knew she would experience once she stepped inside. The hybrid's left hand drifted down to the door's handle. Inhaling deeply, she turned the handle, gave a gentle push, and stepped over the threshold she hadn't crossed in seventeen years.

§§§§

"Do you think we should have really let her go on her own? I don't think we should have let her go. Maybe we should have gone with her?" Rengar turned the page of his book, giving a soft 'humph' sound to let Tarko know he was listening. The blond wasn't paying attention though. Pacing nervously back and forth, his thoughts were a jumble of worry over Lara's mental and emotional state. "I mean you know how she gets when she starts thinking about the past. She goes all quiet-y and sad and then she starts hunting down humans like crazy and-" "Enough Tarko." Blue eyes stared at Rengar in shock before the ex-experiment released a sigh and sat on a close-by bench that had definitely seen better days. "Sorry Renggy...I just...I just don't like seeing her like that is all; and this is the first time she's ever wanted to go to that place in the entire time we've known her. Who knows what she'll be like when she comes back..."

Giving up hope that he would be able to continue reading while his comrade was panicking about their friend, Rengar closed his novel and shoved it in one of many pockets his cargo pants had to offer before turning to look at the blond. Ocean eyes were downcast and his full lips were twisted into an adorable pout. The mutant let out a soft huff before taking a few steps forward. When he was close enough, he drew Tarko into a comforting hug (making the other let out an adorable squeak). "I know that you are worried about her. I am too, but we have to allow her to do this on her own. They are her memories and it is her past. We have no right to involve ourselves without an invitation." Tarko knew that Rengar was right, and he allowed himself to lean into the embrace. "Okay...I just don't like when she's sad." "Neither do I."

§§§§

Everything was as it had been from her childhood, excluding the generous amount of dust which coated everything thickly and assured her that her presence was the only one that had entered the mansion in over a decade. Lara made her way slowly through the majestic structure, stopping every now and then when a fond memory came to mind. She could easily remember running up and down the stairs at only three years old while being chased by her Papa when it was bath time. The large vases that lined the wall had once been filled with plants from all over the world. Further in was the kitchen where Mrs. Marshy, the cook, would help her make pancakes for her Papa and Father on the weekends.

Heading up the stairs towards the second floor, she stopped when she reached the landing and closed her eyes. Her emotions were rolling inside her gut and the hybrid struggled to get them under control before she eventually proceeded to the one room in the entire mansion she had never entered before; not even when her parents had still been alive. They had always told her that it was Father's working room and that they didn't want her getting into anything that might have been important.

It was time she saw the room.

§§§§

The sun had long since set and Lara still wasn't back yet. Tarko wanted nothing more than to go see for himself if she was okay, but he was pretty sure that if he tried Rengar wouldn't hesitate to sit on him. Speaking of the mutant, the blond stopped his pacing and looked over at his friend, taking in the relaxed posture and old book. He simply studied him for a few moments before a voice that reminded him of earthquakes and tornadoes startled him. "Sit Tarko. Lara will be back soon enough."

Letting out a sigh, the blond did as was asked and sat down on the bench he had abandoned earlier. A few moments passed in silence. When he didn't think he could take it anymore, he decided to ask a question that had been bothering him lately. Normally it wasn't something he would think think twice about...but this visit to the mansion was out of character for their companion as typically she would ensure that the closest she ever came to it was only a random stop into Smallville's rubble taken sparingly. "Rengar?"

The mutant glanced up, mildly intrigued at the proper use of his first name which Tarko rarely did. The ex-experiment shifted nervously under the curious stare of the other male before continuing. "Do you think we're doing the right thing?" "What do you speak of?" "Well...the campaign...do you think continuing it is necessary anymore?" Rengar was silent, and for a few seconds Tarko thought that he had asked the wrong thing. His worry was appeased when the mutant finally spoke. "No. I do not believe it is necessary now." "...me neither..."

§§§§

The office was encased in shadows; the only light coming from the gibbous moon outside. Lara didn't care though. She sat on the old moth-eaten couch in front of the stone fireplace, her black canvas trench coat tossed over the back, her elbows on her knees, and her head cradled in her hands. The hybrid's face was streaked from the silent tears she had cried only moments before. By her feet lay the framed photo of what her family had once been. Father, Papa, Grammy, Auntie Chloe, Uncle Pete, Mrs. Marshy, and Mr. Grahams (the butler) surrounded a much younger version of herself and everyone had bright, happy smiles on their faces. She hadn't expected to cry. She never cried before.

She hadn't seen such a stark reminder of what she had lost before either.

Lara remained where she was for what seemed like hours before heaving a sigh and rising to her feet, her gloved hands rubbing away the last evidence of her tears. She grabbed her jacket, and just as she was about to make her way out of the room, a metallic glint caught the corner of her eye. She paused, staring at the slim metal case resting beside the dusty computer. On its cover was one word; her name.

Curiosity peaked, she stepped towards the large wooden desk then around it to sit in the worn-out chair positioned in front of the window. She flipped the laptop open and pressed the power button, hoping that the emergency generators still had power. Not to mention hoping that the machine still functioned as well. The brunette bit back a smirk when the screen came on. She quickly typed in the password (her name, which took a few tries to figure out) before opening the drive and placing the disk from the case in the tray. With a push, she closed the drive then waited for it to load. When that finished, she clicked on the lone file (a video) then watched as her father and papa came on the screen.

_Clark and Alexander Luthor-Kent wore solemn looks upon their faces, eyes worn and tired. The Kryptonian was the first to speak. "Hey baby girl, it's Papa. Your father and I made this for you in case what we fear will happen, did happen. If you're watching this than the threats that were made towards us weren't idle. I know that right now you're very angry; and that you want to take that anger out on the world. We don't want that baby-girl." Lex placed a comforting hand on Clark's shoulder as his husband became too choked-up to continue. The multi-billionaire spoke now._

_ "Lara, we knew that something like this might happen when the world found out about your papa. As much as we wish we could be there with right now, it's not possible anymore. Please, don't hate the world Lara. I've been down that road and it doesn't lead to anywhere good." Both men were silent now, their hands gripping each others tightly before her father continued._

_ "Now, the chances of you getting this disk before you did anything rash were pretty slim. Your papa and I love you Lara, but we know that you can be impulsive; especially when you're angry. You get that from us. If you did do something rash, we don't hate you for it baby-girl. What's done is done. You can't change the past. We love you baby-girl."_

The video ended, and a shaky hand shut the laptop slowly as Lara processed what she had just watched. Her parents still loved her. No matter that she had caused the start of the human extinction; no matter that she was still pushing towards their annihilation. They still loved her. They said it themselves. Another thought soon followed after. She tried to wipe out an entire species...what the hell was wrong with her?! Guilt suffocated her as she finally snapped out of the murderous anger that had fueled her every action since the death of her family. Lara didn't know what to do, so she simply sat there for the rest of the night as she finally allowed herself to break apart.

§§§§

Tarko was comfortable; more than comfortable actually, something he hadn't really been in years during sleep. Warm too. He couldn't recall any bed feeling this wonderful, and the blond shifted to get closer to the warmth. The arms around his waist tightened. Tarko froze. 'Arms?' His eyes opened and he raised his head. Blue locked with violet as Rengar returned his shocked and embarrassed stare with sleepy annoyance. "Will you stop shifting around so much? I'm trying to sleep." The blond simply continued to stare at him. Rengar rolled his eyes and huffed. "You were shivering. My body temperature runs higher than yours. Now stop staring at me and go back to sleep." "Oh...okay...is Lara back yet?" "No. Now _sleep._"

The blond ignored him in favor of sitting up and looking around. His friend sighed and sat up as well. "You need to cease worrying. Lara is more than capable of taking care of herself. She does not need us to-" "That's not why I'm worried!" The mutant blinked, a little surprised at the raised voice. Tarko rarely shouted; and never has he shouted at him. He watched the other as a creamy hand nervously ran through sun-kissed locks. Letting out a sigh, Tarko turned to look at him, blue eyes apologetic. "I'm sorry...it's just that I'm afraid if she keeps going like this she's going to shatter and there won't be a damn thing either of us can do to put her back together."

"I don't need anyone putting me back together. I'm not humpty-dumpty you idiot."

The two men stared at the brunette standing only a few feet from them with her arms crossed, amusement flashing in her eyes and turning them bright. "You two were getting a little cozy there a few minutes ago. Is there something I should know about Rengar?" "Tarko and I are participating in a sordid love affair and are planning to announce our engagement at the next conference." The mutant's voice was mono-toned as he ignored Tarko's indignant squeak. The hybrid laughed, stopping the blond's embarrassment in its tracks as he stared at her in stunned shock. He hadn't heard her make that sound in a very long time.

Rengar raised an eyebrow. "You are rather...pleasant of mood." "Why yes, yes I am." The brunette put one hand on her hip as she pointed a finger at them. "You boys ready to go on a long trip?" Tarko shook himself from his shock, curiosity tickled. "Trip? We're going on a trip? Where?" "Not where; WHEN." "Huh?"

The machine was HUGE! Tarko also thought that it looked like a squid with epilepsy, but he didn't say that out loud. He had asked Lara to explain everything one more time as she set about making sure everything was in place and the portal generator had power going to it. The hybrid had simply shook her head and told him to ask Rengar so she could focus. Tarko rolled his eyes but still did as she said and asked the mutant.

Rengar put his book away (seriously, how many times had he read that thing already anyways?) into one of his many pockets and relaxed on the metal chair he had found in the corner of the lab room, and then set about repeating everything that Lara had told them hours before. "Lara is ensuring that the Parallel Time Distorter is functioning, and then she will set it for forty-two years into the past of a parallel time-line." "Why not this one?" "Paradox. If we set it for this time-line it will generate a time loop that will severely damage this reality before, eventually, destroying it and anything connected to it." "Like us?" "Yes." "Ah...why do this if it won't affect us directly?" "Because she wants to make amends, which is something she believes she cannot do here." "Oh..."

A loud cheer brought both males' attention to the activity around the portal generator, and they watched as Lara finally stepped back from its platform. A large grin stretched across her face when she looked over her shoulder and caught sight of her friends. "Ready to go? I've got everything set up, so all we need to do is step onto the platform and hit the button." Before Rengar and Tarko could do as she said, a gloved hand flew up to stop them. When they gave Lara a questioning look her grin had faded away to be replaced with a serious look. "I want to know if you two really want to come with me...because there's no coming back. Once I hit the shiny red button, that's it. The PTD is rigged to explode as soon as the portal closes with us on the other side. We'll be stuck in the past of a parallel time-line for good."

Rengar was the one to speak up. "There is nothing here for us Lara. Even if the world had not suffered your blood-lust and wrath, we would still follow you. This place never wanted us. It never accepted us. You did." Tarko nodded his agreement. "I'm with Renggy on this one. Nobody else gave a damn. Face it...your ass is stuck with us." The hand lowered and the grin reappeared, wider than before. "Wouldn't have it any other way." With all lingering doubts firmly shoved from her mind, Lara motioned the other two onto the pad before stepping on as well. "2001, here we come."

She pressed the shiny red button.


	2. Chapter 2: Hi! We're new in time

**CHAPTER TWO**

Lex Luthor's day began like any other of the hundreds of days he's had since coming to the backwater town of Smallville. He woke up early at around five or six in the morning, dressed himself in clothes of the highest quality, made his way to the room he had claimed as his office when he had first moved into the massive ancestral castle, and sat down behind the great wooden desk (imported of course) to work through the piles of paperwork and computer files concerning his end of Luther Corp. Hours passed this way before the young businessman saved his work on the laptop and sat back in his office chair with a sigh. A glance at the wall clock showed it to be nearly 2:45 pm. If this day continued like any other, then there was a high chance that Clark would be stopping by at around 7 o'clock. A chuckle passed Lex's lips. It still dazed him that his best friend (and, truth be told, his only _real_ friend) was a freshman in high school!

Pushing all thoughts of Clark (or at least most of them anyways) out of his mind, Lex calculated that he had **more** than enough time to head over to the factory to check on things before returning for a rather early dinner (or really late lunch; he didn't really care what it was called). The 22-year-old stood from his seat, stretched, then strolled through the mansion and headed down a flight of stairs leading into the massive car garage that had been built underneath the building. Once there, he stopped and viewed the collection of vehicles with a sense of pleasurable pride. Nobody could really blame him either. Lex had a great collection. Between the high rolling imports, fresh-from-the-factory domestics, and the muscle-bound classics; the bald billionaire had no shortage of cruising variety. He strutted amongst the vehicles until he reached a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro, custom painted an iridescent sea-color. He really liked the color. It reminded him of something…but he couldn't figure out what.

With a bemused shake of his head, Lex climbed into the driver's seat and turned the key. The low rumble of the engine sent a pleasant vibration throughout his body and a smirk stretched across his mouth. It's been far too long since he'd driven such a classic. 'To hell with the speed-limit.' He mused. 'Time to open her up.' With a chuckle, he tossed the car into drive, slammed on the gas, and tore out of the garage.

§§§§§

The sun hung low in the sky when Lex finally left the factory. His relatively happy mood from early had long since vanished, and the dark glare twisting his features was enough to make a veteran soldier piss his pants. 'Those useless, over-paid, ass-kissing idiots!'

The billionaire had arrived at the factory, wanting to only check-up on many of the projects, and instead ended up _fixing __**everything!**_ Between firing incompetents, pulling employees off of projects just to cover others, and trying to save as much data as he could after a virus somehow made it through the firewalls and trashed half of the hard-drives; Lex's day had fallen out of the sky (so to speak) and crash-landed **magnificently**. On top of all of that, Clark had called earlier and said that he wouldn't be able to come by for the next two weeks or so because of a _family trip out of STATE!_ So, yeah…the businessman was far, far from a pleasant mood.

He was just reaching the castle gates when his cell went off. The young man answered with a snarl, knowing by the ring-tone that it was the factory phone line. **"What now!"** A panicked voice stuttered out from the speaker. _"I'm s-sorry M-mr. Luthor, but you really need to come back to the f-factory!"_ "Why." There was a hesitant pause before the poor scientist chosen to call the boss (he lost rock-paper-scissors) continued. _"Because three people…just popped in out of thin air sir."_ That…wasn't the answer Lex had expected.

§§§§§

Lara leaned back against the wall she was sitting by, her eyes staring straight ahead at the two-way mirror of the reinforced room. To the scientists and Lex, she appeared listless and unfocused. Rengar and Tarko knew better. Ever since they had been frog-marched at gun-point (not that they honestly had anything to worry about since Lara and Tarko were pretty much bullet-proof, and Rengar could render himself insubstantial…but they were curious about what would happen next, so they had gone along with it) into the featureless 'interrogation' room, the two men knew that Lara would be x-raying the building with her inherited ability to see what was going on.

They also knew that she would (most-likely) be listening in on anything and everything being spoken beyond their current location; another talent she had received from her Papa's side of the 'family'.

Hours passed as the hybrid sat in death-like silence, Rengar read his almost-finished book (again), and Tarko listed everything on the elemental table (first by atomic weight, then by most-reactive-to-least, then alphabetically…both ways) before the steel door by the glass pane opened. Three sets of eyes focused on the hulking security guard that walked through, then on the man following behind. Judging by how Lara stiffened almost imperceptibly before standing to her feet and staring at the young man, Tarko and Rengar guessed that he was probably someone she had known before the attempted annihilation of humans.

When they noticed her aborted step forward they were certain of it.

"Who are you?" The voice was strong and allowed for no confusion that the question was more of a command. The mutant and experiment shot an amused glance at each other. It sort-of reminded them of their companion when a Hell's Legion meeting was being held and she 'asked' everyone to report on their progress. They turned their attention to Lara, waiting for her to answer the man's 'question'. Tarko and Rengar were curious over what she would say.

The hybrid took a few moments to think of a suitable answer before she tilted her head and smiled widely, making Tarko think of an offspring between a rabid dog and a_ very_ hungry shark. "I'm the Muffin-Man." Steel-grey eyes shot an encouraging glance at her companions and they nearly grinned. The two understood what she wanted. It was the same 'game' they played whenever the Justice League managed to 'capture' them.

They called it 'The Annoying Game'.

Placing his hands on his hips, Tarko shot a smile as well towards the two strangers that was near-identical to Lara's. "I'm Bugs Bunny." This, by far, was the fastest the blond had seen two people turn red. He wondered what color they would turn when Rengar spoke?

"I'm a prostitute."

The monotone answer had everybody staring at the red-head, wide-eyed and gaping. Stunned silence filled the room before the hybrid and experiment doubled over in whooping laughs. That was a new one! Usually he said 'a rocket' or 'root beer' or even 'a fork'. Why he decided on prostitute, Tarko didn't know…but the two strangers had skipped burgundy and gone straight to violet in restrained anger.

The bald man seemed to compose himself before stepping forward, a sneer twisting his lips. "I am in no mood to play games with the likes of _you_. Now tell me who you are and no jokes." Tarko and Rengar cast a glance at Lara, waiting for her to take the lead. Something told them that the 'game' was over now.

Lara's face had lost all traces of humor as her eyes looked the billionaire over with a weighted gaze. He was younger and definitely more restrained, but the man was Father…well the parallel version of him anyways. Even as a child she had never seen him look so…angry; and just not at the head game she and her companions had started up. He seemed to hold anger against the world.

She wanted to laugh. 'So _that's_ what he meant by being down that road before…looks like I took after Father a lot more than he and Papa thought…'

Deciding that starting up the 'game' again would be completely pointless, the hybrid answered truthfully (though she omitted her last name since it would probably wig him out). "My name is Lara. These are my companions: Tarko Besnik and Rengar Hekili." "How did you get into the lab?" "The Parallel Time Distorter." "…the what?" A smirk flitted across the hybrid's lips as she crossed her arms and raised her chin stubbornly. "You won't learn anything else until we speak somewhere else that affords more privacy."

§§§§§§§§

The damn woman was, quite possibly, the most irritating female that he had ever had the displeasure of meeting. Lex gritted his teeth, thinking quickly. On the one hand, there was a chance that they were hired mercenaries that had been paid to murder him (and no he wasn't being paranoid since it'd happened a few times before). On the other hand, he really wanted to know more…that Parallel Time Distorter sounded intriguing.

His self-preservation wrestled desperately against his scientific curiosity before dying a rather spectacular demise. Within moments his mind was made up. Turning towards the security guard he motioned to the intruders. "See to it that they are transported to the mansion as quickly as possible." He switched his attention to that _infuriating_ woman. "Satisfied?" "Quite." Lex briefly wondered if throwing something really solid at her head would be counter-productive.

Keeping a tight lid on his violent urge, the businessman spun sharply on his heels and left the room. Those he employed were smart enough to do as they were told so he didn't worry about the security guard not following orders. Lex suspected that the intruders would be shoved into an armored van and taken to the castle long before he even left the building, especially since he would be making a stop at the lab they had been apprehended in to speak with the two scientists that had been in the room at the time. With any luck, they'd be able to shed some knowledge on what really happened.


	3. Chapter 3: Questions and Answers?

Doctor Addison Jakkal absently wondered if murder was still considered a no-no. Last she checked it was…but that had been about a year ago and she couldn't help but hold out hope that the laws concerning the willful killing of fellow humans had been changed. To be specific, she hoped that they had been abolished completely. If murder was allowed, then she could rid the Earth of a very annoying fellow scientist that (more likely than not) had fished his few degrees out of a Cheerios box. Alabaster fingers twitched sporadically as she fantasized all the wonderful ways she could go about the bloodshed (and subsequent clean-up). "ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?!"

Yep…murder definitely needed to be legalized.

Heaving an annoyed sigh, the twenty-eight year old shoved her daydreams to the back of her mind for later viewing and focused her attention on the stringy man glaring at her. She narrowed her eyes in return. "I don't really see how talking about this is going to be of any use David-" "_Doctor Richary_."

Addison ignored his snarling and continued speaking. "I didn't see how they managed to get into the lab. I don't really care that they did either." With that, she spun sharply on her heels and strode swiftly from the lab. The faster she removed herself from that insufferable idiot's presence the better. No need to let her IQ suffer after-all.

Addison had just come to a stop before the elevator when she heard her cell go off. Curious, she pulled it out and flipped it open, not bothering to check the caller-id. "Hello?" _"Addy? It's Matthew. Are you still in the lab with Richary?"_ "I just left. Why?" _"The boss wants to speak with the two of you."_

A delicate eyebrow rose sharply.

"Oh? And why would that be?" She heard a sigh over the speaker. _"No idea. Think you could head back to the lab and drag that damn idiot down with you to the boardroom?"_ "Which one? We've got dozens of those." _"Idiots or boardrooms?"_ Addison let out a barking laugh. "Boardrooms." _"Let me ask."_

The sound of muffled voices drifted into her ear as the scientist waited impatiently. 'I don't want to go back and speak to that moron again.' _"You still there?"_ "My ear is. Not too sure about the rest of me." _"Oh, ha-ha."_ "I try." She could almost feel the eye-roll that Matthew was sure to be making at her remark. _"Whatever. Lex says that he wants you down in the Brown Room. He also says not to forget the idiot." _A click resounded over the cell's speaker, and Addison flipped her phone shut with a groan. Time to go get the idiot.

Honestly, how David Richary ever managed to become a _very_ well-paid scientist was a mystery she just couldn't solve.

Lex sat back in the leather seat at the head of the table and waited, steely eyes riveted on the two scientists on the other side of the small room. Absently he was amazed at how different the co-workers were from each other. David Richary did nothing but fidget and stutter, his hands wringing themselves raw while he seemed to struggle with answering his boss's question.

Addison Jakkal was another story. All she did was sit and stare at nothing with her chin propped up in her hand. He wasn't too shocked by this considering that the damn woman was probably one of the nuttiest people he had ever met. She was a damn good scientist though, so he put up with her…eccentricities.

'We're getting nowhere with this.'

Tired of the blubbering coming from the only other male in the room, Lex cut him off sharply with a hand motion and leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table, casting his employees a chillingly glare (something he knew wouldn't bother Addison in the least…but it would intimidate the idiot, and Lex wasn't one to pass up an opportunity to make someone cower). "I have asked a simple question. 'How did the three intruders manage to enter the lab without being seen by security?' That's all I asked. What is the hard part of that question? What is it that has you stumped?"

Richary just seemed to stutter and shake more underneath Lex's stare, and the billionaire knew he wouldn't be getting anything useful out of the fool anytime soon. 'That leaves…' Gray eyes focused on Jakkal. "Anything to offer me?"

Emerald eyes focused back to reality, and the petite woman pursed her lips. "…they popped out of nowhere?" "…nowhere." His employee shrugged. "That's what David said. I wasn't paying any attention." "Oh?" Lex leaned back in his chair once more. "And why was this?" "I didn't want to burn the soil samples we received from Australia."

Now the businessman was just confused. "Burn the soil samples? If I'm not mistaken, your degrees do not include a study in geology." "They don't." "…then why were you heating soil samples." Another shrug was offered along with a reply. "Matt was busy with the tissue samples sent in from Russia, so I offered to help him out with the dirt-stuff." "…dirt-stuff." "Yep."

Lex was paying his employees **way** too much.

The mansion of this reality was the exact same as the one she left behind; right down to the secret room Papa told her about when she was a child (the one that held proof of her Father's obsession to learn everything about the Kryptonian when the two had been younger). It was…comforting. Lara almost smiled. Almost.

Hard to smile when the beginnings of a headache had been edging in on her since she and her companions had been shoved into a small armored van, driven to the stone building, and then marched into a copy of her Father's study.

Was that a statue of a leopard?

Okay…so maybe it wasn't an _exact_ replica of her reality's mansion, but that was only in the décor. Everything else was still the same.

The hybrid took a seat on the couch in front of the fireplace and closed her eyes, relaxing into the cushions. She heard Tarko and Rengar do the same. All they could do was wait after-all. '…I have _no_ idea how I'm going to explain this without Father's parallel throwing us into a padded room…' Lara ran through dozens upon dozens of ways to explain things to the man, but couldn't come up with a clear-cut solution.

With a sigh, she opened her eyes and glanced to her left at Rengar. "How do I tell him?" Her voice was barely a whisper as she didn't want the men-in-black to over-hear. Rengar raised an eyebrow at her in question. "Who is 'him'?" His question was just as quiet. "Father's parallel." "…tell him the truth and leave nothing out." "Are you sure?" "Yes." Lara thought about this before coming to a decision.

"Okay."


	4. Chapter 4: Decisions and a revelation

It was nearing midnight when Lex threw his hands in the air (figuratively speaking) and gave up. Questioning the two scientists had gotten him nowhere earlier, and reviewing the security footage of the lab didn't clear anything up either. One minute the footage was showing Richary looking into a microscope while Jakkal heated up soil samples (the 'dirt-stuff' as she had so _eloquently_ said); and the next moment showed Richary turning away from his task just in-time to watch three strangers _**pop out of nowhere!**_

At least the businessman now believed that Jakkal had been telling the truth when she said that she hadn't noticed anything. Hell, the woman hadn't even turned away from her project to see what was going on until security marched into the room! She was either a very dedicated scientist…or she was deaf as a tree.

Lex hoped it was the former.

The billionaire made his way from the factory wearily too exhausted to even realize he was going the speed limit the entire trip back to the mansion. All he wanted to do was fall onto his bed and crash-out. There was no way in _hell_ he was going to be questioning the three intruders tonight; not when he still couldn't make sense out of the scientists statements and the camera footage that supported their experience…well, Dr. Richary's experience anyway.

The only information that he had heard from Addison was her repeating what her co-worker had said. 'At least she actually _talked_ instead of stuttering like that damn idiot.' He would **never** say this aloud, but he was glad that he took Matthew's advice and hired her when she applied to work in the factory labs. 'Between the two, I probably don't need any more scientists.'

His thoughts drifted away as he _finally_ reached the mansion, then its parking garage, and then (finally) his top-of-the-line bed. The bald man didn't even bother changing out of his suit and, instead, flopped down stomach-first onto the mattress. Lex sighed into his pillow. 'This shit is going to drive me insane…'

With the hope that everything would make a lot more sense after a night's sleep (or at least, make a few things a little easier to understand), he allowed his eyes to fall shut as he let sleep take him under its wing for the next few hours.

Midnight had long since passed and the three companions were still wide-awake. Earlier, they had been 'escorted' to a moderately-sized bedroom and then locked inside for the night. Lara had merely sighed and motioned Rengar to push the two full-size beds together towards the middle of the room while Tarko and her set about rummaging through the large dresser for something to sleep in for each of them. Minutes later found the three curled together in a small pile on the mattresses.

Tarko lay with his head resting on Rengar's stomach, Rengar's head lay on Lara's stomach, and Lara's head lay on Tarko's. It made it a heck of a lot easier to talk to each other quietly enough not to be overheard by any snoops. When Rengar had made a sign with his hand that meant 'bugs?', Lara had replied with a soft 'No.' and pointed to her eyes. "Already checked for them." Rengar and Tarko had relaxed at that. If Lara couldn't 'see' them, then they weren't there.

Now it was approaching two, and Tarko finally broke the silence that had descended upon them. "What now?" His voice was soft, meant only for his comrades ears. Lara shifted slightly to find a more comfortable position before answering. "Rengar says that I should just tell Father's parallel the truth and see where it goes from there." "And?" "And I'm trying to figure out a way to say it without him thinking I'm insane."

The blond thought quietly before speaking. "Well…he seemed pretty interested in the time changer thingy-" "Parallel Time Distorter." "Yeah that thing. You could always explain _that_ to him, and then explain everything else after. He might find it a bit more believable once he knows that it's possible.' "…you know…" Lara's voice held a contemplative note, "that…just might work."

Grey eyes danced humorously as she turned her head to look at the blond. "It seems your hair color hasn't affected your brain just yet." Tarko stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry at her. She just chuckled and glanced at Rengar. "What do you think?" "…it's as good idea as any." "Excellent."

Sitting up (and grinning when Rengar growled at her for dislodging his head), the hybrid leaned over the bed and grabbed one of the two blankets that had been thrown on the floor earlier. She shot her comrades a small smile, a 'good-night', and then wrapped herself in a warm cocoon of blanket-y goodness. She was asleep before she heard them wish her sweet dreams.

Rengar listened as the brunette's breathing leveled out before raising his head to look down at Tarko. The blond glanced at him curiously, a silent question in his eyes. The mutant raised a brow. "Are you tired as well?" Ocean-blues blinked slowly. "No…not really. Why?" "Would you like to play a game of cards with me?" "Sure." They both sat up and edged away from Lara, not wanting to disturb her sleep.

Mocha hands dug into various pockets (Rengar refused to take his cargos off; even to sleep) until finding a pack of playing cards near the bottom of one. The redhead made a pleased 'hn' as he pulled them out, opened the box, and let the cards fall out into his free hand. Without a thought, he shuffled them swiftly before dealing out seven cards for each of them. "We're playing Go-Fish."

He savored the fuzzy warmth that bloomed in his chest when Tarko sent him a small grin.

They played quietly for an hour or so before Rengar noticed the small yawns that the younger male tried to hide. Biting back an amused grin, he snagged his friend's cards out of his hand and gathered up the rest off of the mattress before putting them away in one of his many pockets. The glare directed at him faded into a sheepish grin when the mutant pointed out the yawns. "I guess I **am** a little tired."

The mutant reached over the side of the bed to grab the blanket Lara hadn't snagged and handed it to the blond. A shiver raced down his spine as a pale hand brushed against his when Tarko reached out to grab it. Rengar's voice held a gruff edge as he spoke. "Get some sleep. The three of us need to be well-rested if we want the energy to deal with today's later events."

The blond nodded before tilting his head. "What about you?" "What about me?" "There's only two blankets," he held up the one in his hand and motioned the other towards the one that their leader had commandeered, "and three of us. Won't you be cold?" The mutant snorted. "My body temperature runs hotter than a human or kryptonian does, remember? I'll be fine."

Rengar watched as the experiment frowned at him before lying down and curling up under the blanket, clutching it tightly. "If you say so." "I do. Now go to sleep Tarko." Violet eyes stared at the wall absently as the mutant waited for the younger male to fall asleep. Within moments he could hear Tarko's breathing even out and match Lara's gentle huffs.

Releasing a sigh, Rengar scooted up the bed a bit and lay down with his head beside the blonde's shoulders and below the brunette's knees. He focused on the shadows playing on the ceiling in the moonlight and grimaced, his thoughts speeding through his mind in a flurry.

He had never cared about another before (let alone two). In the six hundred-and-some-odd-years that he had been alive, not once had he been attached to another living creature (human or otherwise). The humans throughout the ages had condemned him and labeled him a demon, animals were nothing more than food, and he couldn't keep a plant alive regardless on if he watered it or not…so he was surprised at himself that Lara and Tarko had come to mean so much to him.

Especially Tarko.

Rengar was a bit confused by that too. The only reason that the mutant had even put up with his presence in the beginning was because of Lara. She had believed that recruiting the human experiment would be beneficial to her cause, and Rengar owed her his freedom so went along with it.

Now, nine years later, it was the three of them against the world…and he wouldn't want it any other way. While Lara was the reason and the drive behind everything they did, Tarko was…Tarko was…well…he just _was_. Rengar knew that he could continue on if something ever happened to the hybrid. It'd kill him if he ever lost Tarko.

Tarko with his happy-go-lucky smile; Tarko with his kindness; Tarko with his compassion; his ocean eyes, his creamy skin, his shimmering hair; Tarko; Tarko; Tarko. 'Fucking hell I love him.'

Racing thoughts froze and the mutant's eyes widened into saucers. Love. In one, simple, four-letter word lay the answer to his confusion. Love. 'I…love…Tarko.' He was stunned, 'I love him…I love the only human I know to be shot in the head with a missile and not even receive a scratch…I'm…**in** love with Tarko.'

"Shit."

Blue-Green eyes watched as the sun rose slowly through the window of the guest bedroom in a distant relative's house. Clark's second cousin twice-removed on his dad's side was getting married in two days, and the teenager had been dragged away from Smallville and all the way to the middle-of-nowhere Wyoming to attend with his parents.

Instead of having fun with his friends, or hanging out with Lex…the alien was stuck at some unknown relative's ranch waiting to listen to two people he had never met before recite a bunch of written gibberish, exchange rings, and share a kiss. 'If I wanted to see that, I would have taken up watching soap operas.'

The brunette sighed and stood. He didn't want to, but getting ready for the day now seemed like a better idea than just sitting on the bed. Clark made his way over to the set of duffel bags thrown on the dresser and dug through them for a few minutes before finding a pair of loose jeans, a red-and-blue flannel shirt, a pair of socks, and boxers.

He took his time getting dressed before stepping towards the door. The alien paused for a second to breathe, wanting to build up a wall of defenses before dealing with a bunch of strangers. After a moment, he felt like he could deal with the near-choking stupidity of his distant relatives (and of course, keep his…oddities under wraps too). He stood up straight, turned the doorknob, and stepped out of the room.

The 'family trip' couldn't end fast enough.


	5. Chapter 5: The Billiards of Science

It had been nearly twenty-two hours, forty-six minutes, and some odd amount of seconds since Doctor Matthew Tylerson had left the factory. The forty-five-year-old relaxed into his recliner happily, enjoying a rare day off from his work. On the side-table to his right sat a tall glass of iced tea and his hands cradled an old copy of 'Cinderella' as if it was the most priceless of treasures.

The book was a guilty pleasure of his that he would gladly defend against criticism. He loved the struggles of the characters that ultimately led them to their happy ending. The scientist was addicted to the piece of literature. He was almost to the end of it (again, considering he had owned the tome for nearly twelve years and probably had it memorized) when his cell went off.

The song 'Tropical Depression' by Alan Jackson let him know that the one calling him was more than capable of handling a lamp thrown at her head for disturbing him. His hand stretched towards the other end of the side table and he brought the annoying piece of technology to his ear to answer it.

"What now Addy."

A crash echoed over the speaker, followed shortly by cuss-words that would make a modest man blush. Matthew waited quietly for the stream of bad language to die down before speaking again. "Do I even _want_ to know what the hell that was?" _"Nope."_ "Ah…why are you bugging me on my day off?" _"The Boss called me earlier and told me that '_your presence is required at my home immediately'_ which is really irritating because I'm working on a few side projects today."_

The middle-aged male blinked slowly. "Okay…first off, did you just quote Lex verbatim? In _quotations?_ Second, why would he want you at the mansion? Third, why are you working on side projects? You've been told, repeatedly, that you are to work on nothing that hasn't been cleared by the senior scientists first. The last thing anyone needs is a repeat of last year's fiasco."

He could almost _feel_ the childish glower sent his way through the phone. _"For your information, studying the reaction of plutonium and xenon being heated at an accelerated rate while being compressed could prove to be very beneficial for future applications."_ "You blew up half the building." _"…shut up."_

Matthew shook his head with an aggrieved sigh. "You can be such a child sometimes, you know that?" _"And yet you still put up with me."_ "Blame a hidden bleeding heart for hopeless causes. Now, why does the Boss want you at his place; and how does that fit in with you calling me?" _"Oh, right! I need a ride."_ "Call a cab." _"Lex said he wants you to come too."_ The older scientist furrowed his brow. "Why?" _"Not really sure. He muttered something about protecting his balls before hanging up."_

Matthew heaved a groan and cursed the last time that Lex had 'requested' Addison's presence at his home office. The brilliant woman had somehow managed to rig the billiard balls with a massive quantity of Mentos using three spools of scotch tape, then empty the indoor swimming pool of water, refill it with Coca Cola (everyone had yet to figure out that one), and proceed to throw the 'Mentos Mass' into the liquid through an open window while she waited outside to (and this part is directly quoted) 'see what would happen'. That had been the first time that Addison had ever been at the mansion without Matthew. It was the last time too.

Resigning himself to a day _not_ filled with quiet relaxation reading his beloved book, the scientist told his friend that he would be by within an hour and that she had better be ready to go. Addison gleefully chirped out an _'okay'_ before he hung up on her. He just knew the rest of his day was going to be hell.

Lex was seated behind his desk with his body naturally poised in a manner that would make even the most confident of men cower in his presence. Usually anyways. Sadly enough, the 'usual' reaction seemed to not be the case as he watched his three 'guests' talk amongst themselves about an, apparently, entirely different reality that they had traveled from using a machine that couldn't _possibly _exist. Yet…everything they had told him had been explained using supporting scientific evidence, so the bald young adult was beyond confounded.

Unable to fully wrap his head around the science, yet incapable of just tossing their story aside as rubbish because _something_ deep in his gut said not to, Lex had called the only person he could think of that possessed the knowledge required to dismiss (or validate) the claim of time traveling and reality distortion…or was it the other way around? It was all so confusing and unbelievable really.

The phone call had been over an hour ago and, hopefully, Dr. Jakkal was well on her way to the mansion (with Dr. Tylerson in tow because, frankly, he didn't want a repeat of last time and the elder seemed to have a talent for keeping the woman under some resemblance of control) because the businessman was close to pulling his nonexistent hair out! "You're looking a little stressed out."

Lex managed not to start in surprise, having not even noticed the blond-haired male's approach. He focused on the ocean-blue eyes staring at him in minor concern and frowned. "…you three claim to be from another reality…you've supported this claim with believable scientific evidence…" A small smile flitted across the blonde's lips (Lex believed his name was Tarko Besnik). "Yet you don't know what to think." "…precisely." "Well…maybe you should listen to your gut and understand that we're telling the truth." Steel eyes stared as the other returned to his comrades, a little thrown by his words. '…trust my gut…hm.' He was drawn from his thoughts by a resounding knock on the office doors.

Addison didn't wait for anyone to answer the doors before she threw them open with a flourish and stepped inside. She knew Matthew was a few steps behind her as she made her way over to her employer's desk. Emerald eyes danced merrily at the glare directed at her when a few documents were disrupted by her bottom as she sat down on the very well-designed piece of furniture (she knew it was so because she had tried to blow it up once and it didn't even _scratch_). "What can I do for you this fine day Boss? Hopefully something involving a lot of side projects."

The glare dissolved into an annoyed huff. "The next time you're allowed a side project is the day I need a building blown to rubble." "Oh come on! Really?" The scientist growled and stood up, pacing around the room absently and muttering to herself. "You get one unexpected reaction out of an experiment and they automatically assume you're a terrorist!" She would have continued in this manner for some time longer, but she tripped over the edge of the rug lying in front of the couch and flailed about before landing firmly on top of one of the three strangers sitting on Lex's couch.

Judging by the well-proportioned lumps her face was currently burrowed in, they were female.

"…um…I know that my breasts are possibly the most comfortable on Earth…but could you move your face out of them so I can resume my conversation with my comrades? The two idiots won't stop staring and it's getting rather annoying."

The voice reminded Addison of rich dark-chocolate poured over the ripest cherries and topped with whipped cream. She really enjoyed the treat during slow winter nights. She also enjoyed well-proportioned lumps. Her voice was a near-whine when she spoke. "I don't wanna' move."

A huffed chuckle reverberated from the chest she was cushioned against. "From the glare directed at the back of your head, and the fact that you arrived in the span of only a few hours after we told our 'host' some near-unbelievable information, I'm going to assume that you're a rather intelligent individual with possibly multiple science-oriented degrees." "You would assume correctly…and I'm still not moving so you might as well stop glaring at me _Lex_."

The coal-haired woman could just picture the eye-roll that Matt was sending her way, but that didn't matter too much to Addison because someone was being a meanie-butt and lifting her head from its lump-filled paradise. _BY HER HAIR TOO!_ She rolled her eyes up to scowl at the mocha-skinned redhead quirking an eyebrow and looking at her with a twinkle in his eye.

The twinkle was the only reason she hadn't poked him in the forehead yet. "What?" Her tone was even whinier than before, and the stranger's lips twitched up at the corners. "If you are here because 'Lex' called for you, then perhaps you should focus on him for the time being and hear what he wants." This time a smirk erupted on his face. "You can go back to molesting Lara afterwards." "…oh okaaay."

Addison stood to her feet after the man released her hair, shot a wink at the brunette she had used as a pillow-paradise (and could she just say, the brunette was _damn_ good-looking), then spun on her heels and near-_skipped_ over to her boss's desk (because she knew it would annoy him). "So…why **are** Matty and I here?"

She really enjoyed the half-irritated/half-amused look the billionaire gave her.

"_You_ are here to validate **their** claim of parallel realities and the ability to time travel from one to another. _He_ is here to ensure you don't turn my billiards into a mint-bomb again." "I was unaware that the reaction would be on such a gra-wait…did you say reality jumping?" "Not in so few words…but yes."

Her attention was hooked.

Without a spare glance at Lex, the scientist bounded over to the three strangers ('the cutie was Lara' she reminded herself) sitting on the couch and plopped down on the coffee-table that she was pretty sure had been pushed closer to the fireplace since the last time she had been at the mansion.

For the first time since entering the room, she _really _looked at the three strangers sitting in front of her and allowed her brain to memorize their basic features. The hottie was a knockout. Seriously; with the naturally pale tan skin, beautifully rich chocolate hair with the barest hint of red that Addison could tell would spill down her back to her shapely hips if released from its braid, and a well-shaped body…the woman was Addison's dream-girl. Full lips, flawless complexion, delicate features, and grey eyes that reminded the scientist of mercury just sealed the deal. To her right was the redhead, and to his right was a blond.

Okay…so she paid more attention to Lara than the other two…a LOT more attention.

Deciding that she was officially under the spell of the ethereal 'goddess', Addison moved onto the reason she was here. "You claim reality jumping." Lara nodded. "You have scientific evidence to back this up?" "Yes." An excited smile beamed from the scientists face. "Tell me."

Matthew and Lex had long-since decided that playing a game of pool would be a great way to pass the time while the four near the fireplace conversed. Well…to be honest the two men wanted to do something that distracted them from the fact that they had absolutely _**no**_ idea what the hell Addison, Lara, Tarko, and Rengar were talking about.

The businessman was far from an idiot, but his intelligence was focused more on stocks and budgets and everything else that concerned the running of the company (he loved science, and he was great at it too, but priorities were priorities); and Matthew was more into the organic side of science than anything else.

So…yeah. Pool.

"Eight ball in the corner pocket." Lex used the end of his stick to tap the top of the hole he meant before taking position and aiming at the cue. Steel eyes narrowed intently, calculating the perfect shot before striking the cue straight into the black eight ball and sinking it cleanly. The billionaire shot a smirk towards his opponent. "That makes twelve against ten." "Yeah, yeah."

Matthew rolled his eyes at Lex. "Just rack them up already so I can turn that number around and wipe that cocky look off your face." "Bring it." The businessman racked the balls up and they started another game.

Well, they tried to anyways. Addison grabbed the rack, two billiard balls, and both men's sticks before they could even start.

Jakkal ignored the indignant 'Hey!'s coming from the two men and carried her loot to a relatively large empty space before dropping everything on the floor. The scientist tuned the world around her out as she crouched down. Colorless hands reached out and began rearranging the items to match the diagram in her head. She could have just used a pen and printer paper, but the sounds of the game had been beginning to bug her while she was trying to think…and she wanted to annoy her friend and their boss.

"Okay…Lara? I need you, Tarko, and Rengar to come here for a moment." Addison waited until the three were crouched down around the billiard supplies as well. A shiver raced up her spine as she noticed that Lara was only a few inches away, and she sadly bit down the urge to reach out and snuggle against her (or at least cop a feel). 'No time for that…maybe later.'

She focused her attention to her task at hand. 'Right now I need to figure this shit out.'

"Alright-y then. These two balls,' she held up the eight and the cue (yes, she snatched that ball), 'are different realities, the stick I quipped from Matthew is the space-time barrier that separates them, and Lex's stick represents the pathway that you say was opened by your Parallel Time Distorter which allowed you three to slip through." "That is correct." "I see…" Addison scowled at her makeshift model. "…there are a few things that I don't understand fully."

She felt more than saw Lara shift out of her crouched position and instead sit on the floor. "Oh? And what might these things be?" "Well…for starters; the evidence you gave me proves that the concept of reality jumping isn't ridiculous. However, the physics behind it suggest that generating a stable enough passageway to allow safe travel would be next-to impossible." "True; but my father's scientists found a way around the instability." "Which was?"

Lara's hand reached out to grab the ball rack and position it over the point where the two pools sticks crossed.

"Two sets of three interlocked electromagnetic pulse fields counter-rotating against each other. It created both a negative and positive charge strong enough to compress against the unstable reality-tear. The force was strong enough to not only stabilize the pathway for safe travel, but to also allow it to be kept open indefinitely as long as the P.T.D remained powered on by a consistent amount of energy."

"How much energy was required to maintain the pathway long enough for safe travel?"

"The same amount that it takes to reduce Earth's moon to space-powder."

"…that…is a lot of energy…"

"Yes. Yes it is."


	6. Chapter 6: A Story of Time Gone Past

It was almost eight in the evening when Lex finally decided that, for his sanity, kicking Jakkal out for the night would be a wise idea. When her entire focus had been on his 'guests' and their story he hadn't needed to worry about her...experimenting in his house. Her fascination with the whole 'Parallel Time Distorter' had faded once the three companions (Lara mainly) finished explaining the mechanics. After Addison lost immediate interest in that, she had turned to making her employer's life a living hell.

The billionaire had spent the following four hours running after her whirlwind trail of 'side projects' with Matthew right along with him. Between keeping her away from the indoor pool, out of the kitchen (because he _really_ didn't want a repeat of her last cooking escapade), hiding the billiard balls and sticks (she had still managed to glue the rack to the ceiling before they could stop her), blocking the private labs under the mansion, and distracting her from discovering the secret room of all things Clark related...yeah...definitely had to kick her out.

At the moment Lex was reclining on his office sofa with a glass of scotch (without his customary ice since Addison had hidden the ice trays before leaving) with his eyes focused on the only other people left around tonight. The coffee table had been pushed to the side earlier so that Tarko could curl up on the rug in front of the fireplace. The young businessman was too tired to protest by now and, too be honest, he really didn't care. Rengar had joined Tarko not too long ago and the two were curled against each other fast asleep. Lara was still awake and sitting on the other end of the couch. Lex figured he might as well get some of his other questions (the ones _not_ pertaining to the PTD) answered.

Taking a sip of his drink, the bald billionaire turned his head to look at the brunette. Before he could open his mouth, she spoke. "You're curious." He stared, then frowned at the quiet laugh that echoed from the woman. "Don't look so surprised. I know you're curious." "...and how could you possibly know that? We've only just met yesterday." "True,' Lara glanced at him, 'but I've known the parallel you my entire life, and there isn't much difference between the two really." As Lex made to comment on this, the brunette stood and made her way quietly towards the office doors. "How about we walk as we speak? There's no need to disturb Rengar and Tarko with our conversation. They look so adorable right now I don't want to wake them by accident." "...fine."

Rising to his feet, Lex followed Lara from the room and quickly fell into step beside her as they meandered through the hallway. Their pace was steady as the walked, the billionaire waiting impatiently for the other to speak. Minutes seemed to stretch on for years before she began. "I guess that I should start from the beginning of it all, really..." Her voice trailed off as she thought of where best to start from before deciding on the years before her birth. "My parents had an...interesting relationship long before I came along. They were two of the greatest people my reality had ever known, and they _hated_ each other."

Lex's brow furrowed in annoyance. "And what does that have to do with anything? Did they get drunk and do a one-night-stand without meaning to?" Lara smirked at his tone of voice. "They did nothing of the sort...and it has to do with _everything_. You see, they used to be the closest of friends. Nobody on Earth could even hold a candle to what they had. Nothing could compare and nobody could destroy it...save for them I guess...

"...they drifted apart in the end; too many lies...too many secrets. Neither wanted to let go of their fear and pride and just _talk_ about it. Instead, the two let it pile up until they felt like they couldn't go on as friends. Sad really...but it couldn't be helped. Over time, the feelings the held twisted and warped." Lex snorted. "Feelings? You make it sound like they were in love."

A smirk flitted across Lara's lips before disappearing. "They were. They were just to stupid at the time to realize it...that's what Papa used to say anyways. Father would just groan and hit his head against the nearest wall whenever it was brought up." "Hold on...your parents were both men?" She shot a glare at him. "Is that a problem?" Lex held up his hands defensively, shaking his head. "No! I...just wasn't expecting it is all. Continue."

"...like I said, their love had twisted and they began to attack each other. First with words, then with actions. It escalated to the point that all they did was try and break each other. Father would try to kill Papa. Papa would try to have Father committed to an insane asylum." "Why wouldn't he try and kill your father in return?" "It went against everything Papa believed in. He never took a life unless there was no other choice." She trailed off, thinking of how to continues.

"...this went on for _years_...five or six I think...before they put aside all the anger and pain to fight against a common foe. In my reality there was a race called the Kiishiir, extraterrestrials from a solar system closer to the center of the Milky Way." A slender hand cut off Lex's retort before it could be voiced. Her eyes were firm and so were her words. "Aliens exist, and the sooner you accept it the better off you'll be." She lowered her hand only when she was certain that he wouldn't say anything. "Now...the Kiishiir were violent, powerful, and extremely cunning. The had already decimated thousands of planets before coming upon Earth. They would have destroyed it too, but Father was one of the smartest men alive and had figured out a few of the secrets that Papa had hid for so many years long before the Kiishiir had ever entered the Earth's solar system."

Lara paused again to find a good way to tell the billionaire about her Papa before deciding that blunt would probably be the best route. "Papa was an alien, but he was nothing like the Kiishiir. Those things resembled the offspring of an earwig and a squid. Papa's birth planet was a place far, far away from Earth called Krypton. He was only a few days old at the most when his birth parents placed him into an AI escape pod and sent him away.

You see, Krypton had been torn apart by war, and the one who caused it had been insane enough to destabilize the planet's sun as a way to win. Papa was saved from the resultant supernova, but the force had veered the pod off course and towards Earth. By the time he reached here, he was around the age of four in Earth's years." "How far away was Krypton?" "Don't really know...there's not much evidence left from the supernova to really be sure...but I quesstimate that I was somewhere near the center of our galaxy."

"So how did he manage to reach Earth so quickly?" "A device that enabled something similar to hyper speed was installed into the escape pod that allowed for h\the ship to travel faster than the speed of light. Much, much faster. So now you know what Papa is...just like Father knew...which is why he wanted his help in stopping the approaching armada." "And how would he be able to help?" "The sun."

Lara notice the confused look he sent her way and she elaborated. "Earth's sun gives off a radiation frequency that is different than what Krypton's was. Under Krypton's red sun, Papa would have been no different than a human. Under Earth's sun, he was capable of feats few could dare imagine.

He could shoot 'lasers' from his eyes, run fast enough to stop time...in one instance I believe he even managed to reverse it, freeze or burn with just a breath, see through anything as if it wasn't even there, he was bulletproof, fireproof, he had incredible strength, 'a small smile graced her lips, 'he could even fly. Father knew Papa would be the only person on Earth capable of going up against the Kiishiir, so they made a truce. Papa would keep the invasion at bay, and Father would create a weapon capable of destroying the aliens for good.

In the end, it was a mutation of the common cold that Father developed that did the trick. Papa managed to release it on each and every ship the Kiishiir boasted. After it was all over, Papa and Father realized that there wasn't a reason for them to keep hurting each other. The one major thing that stood between them had been Papa's secret. Without it, their animosity had no ground to exist. They knew they couldn't pick up their friendship from where it had been...but they could start a new one. So that's what they did.

As the years progressed, their relationship grew beyond anything they had shared before. Father eventually asked Papa to marry him, and I came along two years later." Lara cast a grin at her strolling companion. "I'm a test tube baby; created and born in a lab using the genetic blueprints Father's two most trusted scientists made from his and Papa's DNA. I was 'born' January twenty-seventh during the year two thousand and sixteen. Papa said that he had never seen Father cry before until the day he held me. He said that they had both been so happy, and that they had never had a day go by that they weren't grateful for me. I had a happy life...then I turned ten."

Lex waited for the brunette to continue, but when she didn't he turned his head to ask her what happened next. He paused when he noticed that Lara was no longer beside him. The businessman shifted around to look back and saw her standing a few feet behind, her mercury eyes distant and unfocused. "...Lara?"

The 'reality jumper' snapped from her daze and blinked before turning her atttention on Lex. An odd smile passed her lips. "Sorry...got caught up in the past for a moment there." Lex frowned. "Lara...what happened when you were ten?" "...Father and Papa were murdered by the humans they had fought to protect from the Kiishiir."

The billionaire was stunned. Of anything he had expected her to say, that had _not_ been it. "No need to be so shocked. I've been speaking about them in the past tense after all." Lara continued walking down the hall, leaving Lex to stand there and simply stare. She paused and glanced over her shoulder. "Shall we continue our walk?" "...yeah..." He quickened to her side and fell in step beside her. The woman continued.

"As I was saying...my parents were murdered when I was ten. The people who had down it didn't feel right about killing a child, I guess, since all they did was place me under twenty-four-hour surveillance house-arrest. I was stuck in my home for two years before I managed to break out. My abilities, ones I've inherited from Papa, had come to the surface completely instead of the occasional burst of super-speed or strength. They had emerged only a few days before my twelfth birthday and it had taken me nearly three months of constant, cautious practice to control them enough to make a get-away and not get caught. Nobody had even noticed I was gone for nearly two days; which was fine because I was long gone by then.

I traveled the world randomly; not staying in one place to long just in case anyone figured out who I was. It was during this time that I stumbled upon Rengar...well, the place he was trapped in anyways. See...a little over a year had passed by this time and I had my abilities well in-hand. I was in Hawaii at the time when I found him. It was quite by accident too.

I had wanted to 'see' what the inside of an island looked like, so I was using my ability to look through solid matter as if it were nothing when I noticed a massive cavern beneath one of the smaller Hawaiin islands. Rengar was shackled to an enormous stalagmite with some of the largest chains I had ever seen right in the center of the cavern. I found a way down that wouldn't disturb the unstable entrance and decided to go say 'hi'."

"Hi?"

"Yep. I honestly had nothing better to do but outrun the rest of the world...I was lonely...I wanted a friend and decided that the only person who could be a friend to an orphaned test-tube baby was perhaps a strange man chained to a rock beneath an island. It turned out that Rengar was a bit stranger than I had originally thought. For one thing, he's not exactly human. He's a mutant that'll be turning six hundred and thirty-five in a few months. Secondly, he had been imprisoned by humans that had once lived on the island over two hundred years before I found him. They believed him to be a demon of destructive fire or something ridiculous like that and didn't want him loose...the idiots didn't kill him because they thought it would bring misfortune on them though. People can be so foolish sometimes...well, anyways.

I visited Rengar as often as I could. Eventually I found a way to release his chains. They were too strong for me to break at the time, and I ended up having to lace the thing with explosives." "But shouldn't that have killed him?" "No. Rengar is capable of redering his body completely insubstatial. He couldn't escape the chains though as they had been designed to hold him regardless, and the rock was laced with the same material. Annoying really."

The two had wandered out of the mansion some time ago now, and meandered aimlessly around the well-manicured lawn surrounding the estate. The Kansas night sky was clear, a hint of the coming winter making the November air sharp and cold. Lex stamped down the urge to wrap his arms around himself. His thin designer shirt did little to stave of the cool air. A side-glance at the brunette showed him that she didn't seem to be bothered by the season, then his attention was drawn back to the life story of Lara as she resumed speaking.

"The two of us traveled together for a time. With Rengar with me, I wasn't as worried about getting caught because I knew that he would protect me. I actually ended up staying in one place for longer periods of time. We lived in Moscow for a month or so, then Paris, Tokyo, the outback of Australia. Eventually we moved to a small town in New Mexico. That's when I discovered a hidden facility about a hundred miles south of where we were and half-a-mile underground. I happened upon it while honing my abilities beyond what they already were...specifically I wanted to be able to use multiple abilities at one time without difficulties..

At the time, I had been running in large circles, freezing the ground beneath my feet to build balance, and using my x-ray vision to keep an eye out for anything I could trip over. Hitting the ground at eighty miles an hour is _not_ fun. Anyways, I 'saw' the labs and decided to take a look inside. It probably would have looked pretty strange for a child to be standing in the middle of nowhere staring at the ground had anybody passed by. That was the first time I'd ever seen a human take a rocket to the torso and come out unscathed. It kind of freaked me out really and I ended up racing all the way back home to tell Rengar.

He wanted nothing to do with it, but after thinking of nothing but listless eyes staring blankly at that approaching rocket...well...I wanted to know more. I started heading out to the hidden facility during the night, and would sit and x-ray the place from above ground. Eventually, I had the entire layout memorized and decided to explore it up-close and personal.

Rengar came with me that night. I think he was afraid I would have done something stupid...not that it did any good. I tripped an alarm I hadn't known about only moments after entering the base. We ended up getting chased by some very angry men with very, very large weapons. At one point they managed to get us cornered in the same chamber that I had seen the rocket fired at Tarko..." Lara stopped and furrowed her brow. "I don't really remember what happened after that too well. They threw gas canisters in and, while they didn't knock me out, they made me loopy as hell. I was out of it for nearly three days from what they put in it. Rengar had to fill me in on what happened.

Turned out that the target practice wasn't as lifeless as I had originally thought. Rengar likend it to a shackled blood-thirsty jaguar finally snapping it chains. From what he said, it seemed that Tarko had launched himself through the walls sepperating his cell from our location and ripped the head off of the first person he could grab. Rengar had made us insubstantial, which really is a very convenient ability, so he literally passed straight through us. I'll skip over the gory details since nothing should _ever_ be described I the amount of detail that Rengar gave that night. Seriously, I'm pretty sure that a small part of my issues in life come from his inability to censor information. Suffice to say that, by the time I had regained my senses, we were already out of the country and living on a small uninhabited island in the Pacific, and Tarko had come to see us as 'safe'. Which is good since I pretty sure he would have been capable of killing me easily when I was that age. He may look like a stick but he's definitely not weak..."

Lara's words trailed off at this point as she stopped to stare up at the stars that shimmered in the night sky. The billionaire simply watcher her, knowing by now that she wouldn't stop telling him everything there was to know about that other reality. He just had to wait for her to regain her thoughts. Minutes passed into nearly an hour before she continued.

"...an experiment...that's all Tarko was to those people...just like Rengar was nothing more than a monster too the island natives...and my parents were nothing more than a perceived threat to a bunch of human idiots years before...to be honest...I think Tarko had the worst of it though. Rengar and I, we knew things he didn't. We knew kindness, joy, sorrow, anger, hurt...we knew it. Tarko was a genetic abomination grown and raised in a cold lab only so they could use him to test their weapons on." Mercury met mercury as she turned her attention to Lex. "It took nearly four months of living on an island no bigger than Smallville before he would even approach us. It was disgusting how frightened and paranoid he had been, and I knew it was because of those damn cursed humans!"

The snarl startled Lex and he stood frozen at the unbridled rage that turned her eyes to edged steel from the memories playing in her mind. A tense moment passed before she calmed down enough to speak. "...a plan started forming in my head by that point. Well, a thought anyways. I wanted humans to pay. I wanted them to cower and run and try to hide as their world was shredded around them. I wanted them to feel the same things that the three of us had felt…and I wanted it to be thousands-fold. That's when I decided that humans had to go…permanently."

The brunette's lips twitched into a grimace at the horrified look on the businessman's face. "No need for the shock…I was just a kid. To me, the world was black and white. I lost everything important to me and it was the fault of humans. Rengar was vilified and imprisoned by ignorant humans. Tarko was a lab rat meant to be experimented with and demonstrated on as some human's private laboratory saw fit. All of this…everything…done by humans. In the mind of an angry orphan, that was more than enough reason to eradicate them.

Rengar and Tarko followed me through it all. At every stage of the plan, those two stood by my side without flinching. We started out small; espionage, resource gathering, intricate plans with multiple backups. I refused to fail in my goal. I searched the world for those that would join me; others that had suffered just as horribly as I had at the hands of humans.

The numbers grew.

Soon, I was directing attacks _everywhere._ The newspapers labeled us; _Hell's Legion_. It was a stupid name, really…but humans always feel a need to put a name to their very destruction…and it helped instill fear in those that I wanted to suffer. Every time they heard the name or saw one of my countless soldiers bearing down upon them to bring them death, it would thrill me to know of their horror. I was near mindless in my vengeance against the humans.

This went on for nearly seven years; there was no rest, no quarter given…it was an extermination of a race thousands of years old." "…what made you stop?" Lara tossed a shark's grin towards Lex. "See…**that's** where the story gets interesting." A hairless brow rose sardonically. "I was under the impression that it was interesting enough." "True…but this next part is going to be a real punch line for you." "Oh? And how is that?" "Because finding a video pre-recorded by you and Clark, _**MY PARENTS**_, is what knocked some sense into me."

Lex hit the ground in a dead faint.


End file.
